At a point of total descent into burning Jahannam three ancient djinni shapeshifters are disturbed from their eminence by unnamed fajir assailant, erupting into retaliatory stakes that’d drive them to possess flesh formae with diabolic vengeance, inhabiting the skulls of German/Basque death-thrash metal trio SIJJIN and inciting them to crush and dement their waking bane. Conjured from arcane treachery into mayhem the precision-cut evil speed-death metal found on the band’s sophomore full-length album, ‘Helljjin Combat‘, is charged at its core by the primeval engine of thrash metal as it’d inhaled its first acts of morbidity unto death. Rather than deliver increasingly extreme waves or turn down toward a point of regression their work finds its songcraft markedly facilitated via a swinging-yet-technical sharpness, an acrobatically achieved authenticity of form which is equally fevered with slavish anciency and plagued by possession.

Sijjin formed circa 2019 by way of bassist/vocalist Malte Gericke (ex-Necros Christos), drummer Iván Hernández (Extinction, ex-Necros Christos) and guitarist Ekaitz Garmendia (Legen Beltza) with the unspeakable goal of creating extreme thrash metal. Intent on conjuring ancient evil their first demo tape (‘Angel of the Eastern Gate‘, 2019) and debut LP (‘Sumerian Promises‘, 2021) faced a fair deal of hype for the sake of their ruthless rhythmic carve, feats of riffcraft that’d stunned me out of my brains to the tune of a highest possible score to the point of that first LP hitting #26 on my Top 75 of 2021. There was a laboriously trained hand applied to that first LP that is still just as potent today per its shades of early Floridian death metal and Bay Area/early Teutonic thrash offered, melding those ideals into a unique corridor treading beast of the underworld. The same core idea and realm of ancient evil translates here on ‘Helljjin Combat‘ even if it is a wildly different album in some respects.

The way I’d viewed ‘Helljjin Combat‘ within my initial descent is less a reaction to the late 80’s death/thrashing structure of ‘Sumerian Promises‘ and moreso a deeper yank back toward the original point of personage that’d divide the death metal shard away from early 80’s speed metal (re: ‘Abominations of Desolation‘, ‘Seven Churches‘ et al.) That doesn’t mean that their initial guide posts aren’t here so much as all things are relative in the world(s) created by evil speed metal. Rather than focus on repetitious, ritualistic forms clenched into specific flow-states this album finds the band expanding their ouevre via more extensively develop songcraft, inserting more complex structures which shift mode and temperament more often within their course and thusly differentiate song-over-song. References to ‘Show No Mercy‘ inspired fare, the malevolent hand of Infernäl Mäjesty and such offer some suggestion of where they’re coming from this time around but the cadence of 80’s Morbid Angel and such still apply.

The introductory buzz and askew riff that introduce opener “Fear Not the Tormentor” took me by surprise, an unusual curveball toward the Bay Area zeitgeist (by way of German thrash metal’s late 80’s dramatism) feeding its eight and a half minute barrage. Outside of Santiago and certain parts of Norway extreme thrash metal rarely receives this level of distinction beyond obviate specificity of one or two key influences. This carefully crafted somewhat technical ‘old school’ speed/thrash metal ideation is of course more than referential 80’s death metal in result, almost along the lines of a band like Boundless Chaos in delivering darker ideals which do not feel restricted by wholly normative sub-genre ideation. In this case Sijjin also write infectious pieces, songs which never feel like dry exercises in rehearsal or auld stolen thunder. That said, the ‘Scream Bloody Gore‘ type kinetics and finger tapped solo toward the end of “Dakhma Curse” aren’t without their clear as day points of inspiration.

Is this album so different, though? The opening moments are for sure different in their burial chambered must but as we tip into “Trance of the Mummified” all souls should be carried back toward the realm of ‘Sumerian Promises‘ to some degree in its initial cadence. The verse refrains hit like the self-titled Nocturnus EP within swaggering declarations, big thrash breaks which only add to the escalating tension of the piece. This’d been a pretty clear standout per my own initial induction and only intensified in mind when the actual abrupt and menacing speed metal built inspiration began to bleed in mind beyond the face value thresh of Sijjin‘s leading riffcraft. Over on Side B overall favored piece on the album, “Five Blades“, sticks to the general triplet chunking introductions found elsewhere on this album (see also: closer “The Southern Temple”) but soon develops a brilliantly lingering waltz of a riff, the sort of excess of phrase which continues to develop its variations throughout. This is the greatest strength of Sijjin‘s rhythmic signature per my own taste, those maze-like threads of riff and their sublime efficiency of movement are both primal and penultimate in the realm of death-thrashing aggression.

The average song length on ‘Sumerian Promises‘ was roughly ~four minutes or so and this time around each piece of ‘Helljjin Combat‘ stretches closer to the six minute mark yet the repetitious, entranced feeling of Sijjin‘s work isn’t nearly as obsessively set. This comes down to the riff count which in mist every case generates a rhythmic phrase or set of quick-turning riffs. Not every piece on this album floors in this way, “Death Opens the Grave” feels fairly straight forward considering its surroundings but the virtue of this more complex rhythmic vernacular and varied rhythmic bent nonetheless made for an ear worming, hackle-raising experience front to back on my part.

The previous album was recorded live and was cut via single takes with minimal overdubs or editing, calling for incredible precision. For ‘Helljjin Combat‘ Sijjin once again recorded live via guitarist Garmendia (@ BlackStorm Studios) over the course of ten days, the assumption is they were similarly strict in capturing these performances. However they’d achieved this result it is similarly meticulous, practiced and executed impeccably down to the last note. The big change otherwise comes in terms of the mastering of the album which they’ve tasked Patrick Engel (@ Temple of Disharmony) with. His final touch achieves a similar, slightly warmed yet still aiming for a late death/thrash metal 80’s presence which grants this album extreme clarity beyond their razor sharpened guitar tones allowing the rhythm section to flex on more complex movements with more realistic presence.

Beyond the inarguable high point of “Five Blades” near the end of the album the real brain-rippling stamp left by this second Sijjin record comes mid-album between the neck whipping, rolling-and-stabbing thrusts of “Religious Insanity Denies Slavery” as one of the more accomplished and extensive riff cutters on the full listen. Not the first or the last galloping and stomping pusher on this record that’d brought the tension of old classics like Deathrow to mind and in this case a sort of nod to Sabbath‘s “Solitude” as a mid-song break towards the main solo. Easily one of the most “musical” and unexpected moments on the ride through. From there “Horrific Distortions” definitely bears a sort of ‘Altars of Madness‘-level coded (re: ~4:14 minutes in) speed metal induced momentum, the lingering step of earliest death metal beyond Hellhammer and Messiah toward ranting, forked variations on steadily built riff progressions. Don’t mind the namedrops on my part, though, as the the tension’d diction and overall outcome is all Sijjin‘s own fascination, it is yet difficult to escape the enthusiasm for this sub-genre/niche that builds when appreciating their work. I’d assume any fan of death/thrash metal will be stoked with their deeper pull back into underground, sinister thrash and speed metal of olde.

With the production values deeper attuned and the riffs unrepentantly cracked throughout I’d found myself returning to ‘Helljjin Combat‘ as often as I possibly could over the course of the last two months. While I don’t know that I’d lend this album the distinction of a full stylistic shift the insertion of earlier 80’s speed/thrash metal elements into Sijjin‘s sound only enriches their work here, broadening its character without losing the cutting focus of their approach. Sitting with this record enough to have considered every note of it I have to relent to the skillful, effortlessly staked perfectionism on hand here in terms of their performances. There isn’t a note, or riff, wholly out of place here and the technical acumen of their trio only tightens here. The only sensation I’m left with at the end of the review process is a taste for blood, a sour taste in mouth for anything but this level of death-thrashing venom. For my own taste this one stands confidently among the best albums of 2025. A very high recommendation.

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